Improvement in devices for opening safe-doors



3 Sheets-Sheet '1. O.- P. GESSERT.

' Device for Opening Safe-D00rs. No. 216,843. Patented June 24,1879

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0. F. GESSERT. Device for Opening Safe-Doors. No. 216,843.

Patented June 24,1879.

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0. P. GESSERT. I Device-for Opening Safe-Doors. No. 216,843.

Patented June 24, 1879. Y

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H. PETERS, FHOTO-UTIIOGRAFHER, WASFXNG'TON, O. C.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

CHARLES F. GESSERT, OF CINCINNATI, OHIO.

IMPROVEMENT IN DEVI'C ES FOROPENING SAFE-DOORS.

Specification forming part of Letters Patent No. 216,843, dated June 24,1879; application filed February 3. 1879.

To all whom it may concern Be it known that I, CHARLES F. GEssERr, ofCincinnati, in the county of Hamilton and State of Ohio, have invented anew and useful Improvement in Fire and Burglar Proof Safes, of which thefollowingis a specification.

The object of this invention is to provide a simple and convenient meansfor operating doors of safes and vaults, to withdraw them from and forcethem into their casings in a straight line, so as to insure a perfectlytight joint between the door and its framing.

Heretofore in heavy fire and burglar proof safes and vaults the edges ofthe doors and casings of which are formed into steps or tenons andgrooves,which prevent the door from being swung into or out from thecasing in the arc of a circle, the doors have been started from theircasings either by a cam and lever attachment arranged upon the hingeedge of the door,'by which this edge was first started out to permit thedoor to swing back upon its hinges, or by levers extending across thefront of the door and over the edge of the frame, the levers beingjournaled or pivoted to the face of the door and having their fulcrumsupon the hinge and lock edges ot'the casing. The first of these modes isobjectionable because it is difficult to apply the same amount of forcesimultaneously to both edges of the door to withdraw it, and hence it isnecessary to leave some play between the door and j amb to avoid lockingthe parts.

The second mode is objectionable because the devices extend across thecenter of the door," the most desirable position for the lockdial, andit cannot be used upon double over-- lapping doors, so that in largesafes, in which two doors are usually required, it is necessary toemploy a center stile, which greatly increases the expense and makes aweaker structure.

An objection common to both modes is that it requires two independentoperations to open or close the door. I

The inventionconsists in coupling the door and thebar of the crane-hingetogetherby a lever, one end of which extends over the hinge edge of thedoor into a bearing secured upon the frame, the points or bearings ofthe lever being so arranged as to guide the door perpendicularly to thecasing so long as the overlapping end of the lever is engaged by itsful- 'crum upon the casing.

In the accompanying drawings, in which similar letters of referenceindicate like parts in the different figures, Figure l. is a front viewof a safe to which my improvements are attached. Fig. 2 is a transversesection taken in the line no a), showing the door closed, and

Fig. 3 is ,a similar view taken in the same.

plane, showing the door withdrawn from its casing in a position ready tobe swung open upon its hinges or to be carried in a straight line intoits casing by pushing against the face of the door. Figs. 4 to 8,inclusive, illustrate various means of operating my device.

Fig. 9 is a transverse section of a safe, show- 'ing an actuating-leversecured to the lock lugs by pins a and b, passing through them and thelever. D is a perforated lug secured upon the hinge side of thedoorframe to receive the short arm of lever C and serveas its fulcrum toforce the door out or in in a straight line, so long as it is engaged bythe lever. The parts are snugly fitted, so that all must movesimultaneously.

In order to properly proportion the parts i of my device and determinethe points of attachment necessary to insure a perpendicular movement ofthe door, it should be understood that the device combined with thecrane hinge is a compound lever, the hinge being a lever of the secondclass, its fulcrum being the hinge-pintles f, upon the edge of the safe,the power being applied to the pintle c, and the weight the powerapplied to lever C, through pin 1). C is a lever of the third class, itsfulcrum the lug D, and its weight that part of the door oppositejournal-pin to.

It is evident that if two points in dilferent vertical planes of thedoor are caused to move at the same speed the door will always moveperpendicularly to its frame. It is therefore only necessary to soproportion the armsof and the long and short arms of each lever bear thesame proportion to each other, so that the ends a and e of the leversmust always move the same distance, while the short arm of lever Oengages its fulcrum. For instance, the point e in moving three inchesmoves point I) one inch; but point 1) moving one inch moves point athree inches; so the points 0 and a moving through the same spacesimultaneously carry the door out or close it parallel to the front ofthe safe.

It will be seen that in attempting to open the door in the usual mannermy device will automatically force the door to move out perpendicularl yto the frame until the face of the door strikes the lug-plate B. (SeeFig. 3.) At this time the end of lever C will be disengaged from itsfulcrum and the door will begin to swing upon its hinges. WVhen swingingthe door closed itwill, when it reaches the position shown in Fig. 3,bring the end of the lever 0 upon the plate 1) and automatically closestraight into its casing.

An inferior modification of my device would be to reverse the positionof lever 0, and place its fulcrum upon the lock edge of the doorframe.This form would be inconvenient, when only one lever is to be used, asit would be in the way of the lock-dial.

It is evident to any one familiar with link and lever movements thatthere may be many modifications of my device which will accomplish thesame purpose without departing from the principle of my invention, theessential feature of which consists in so coupling the double hinge andthe door by a link or lever which has a bearing upon the casing that anymotion applied to withdraw the door from or close it into its casingwill automatically and simultaneously move both vertical edges of thedoor in the same plane a suflicient distance to permit the door to swingupon its hinges or to close it perpendicularly into its casings.

For all ordinary safes my device, as rep-- resented in Figs. 1, 2, and3, will answer every purpose; but for heavy doors it will be found bestin some cases to duplicate the device and provide an auxiliary means toassist in the.

operation of opening and closing the door. These auxiliary devices arerepresented'combined with my device for guiding the door in Figs. 4 to9, inclusive, and will now be described.

Fig. 4. is an elevation, and Fig. 5 a transverse section,of a safe,showing the lever 0 extended. A portion of the extension is formed intoa ring to afford access to the lock-dial,.

the extension terminating in a handle. Fig. 6 is an elevation of a safe,in which the guiding device is duplicated, and the extended ends of thelevers G are here united by a hand-bar. Fig. 7 is an elevation, and Fig.8 a transverse section, of a safe, in which the device representedinFig. 6 is operated byahand-wheel and screw. The screw is tappedthrough the bar and swivel-jointed to the door, as seen in Fig.8.

Fig. 9 shows an actuating-lever, G, journaled in lug g, which is securedto the door near'the lock edge. The end of the lever extends over theedge of the door, and has its fulcrum in a lug. H, (similar in shape tolugs D,) which is secured upon the door-frame. To avoid fric tion theshort arm of the lever G is furnished with a friction-roller.

In the drawings I have shown the lug B secured to the vertical bracewhich unites the bars of the two hinges; but, as this brace forms nopart of the hinge, it is evident that if the lug be secured instead tothe arm or bar of the hinge the operation of my device would beprecisely the same.

I claim- 1. The combination, with the door and casing of a safe orvault, of a device consisting of V a double hinge, a link coupled tosaid hinge and the door, said link having a bearing on the safe outsideof the door to compel a parallel movement of the door to withdraw itfrom or close it into its casing, substantially as specified.

2. In a safe or vault, the combination of lugs A B D and lever O, towithdraw the door CHAS. F. enssnnr.

Witnesses:

GEO. J. MURRAY, 7 JAMES MOORE.

